Don't You Leave Me
by mymalibu8
Summary: Lovers Kakashi and Iruka are setback by a horrible tragedy. Will they be able to overcome it, or will it tear them apart?


**Authors Note: **YAY ANOTHER GROUP FANFIC! This one was written by a Kakashi and an Iruka tumblr roleplayer on Skype, similar to Blue Skies. Hope you enjoy it!

Tumblr URLs-Follow us!  
Kakashi: copycat-sharingan

Iruka- irukas

* * *

Don't You Leave Me

Chapter 1- The News

"Target at 5 o'clock. Team 2, moving in for capture. Standby." Kakashi said quickly into his earpiece as he motioned for the rest of his team to get ready to move in. Just two days ago, he had received message from the hokage that sighting of one of the Village's most notorious criminals had been reported in. Tsunade was sending in three teams: each consisting of some of the villages most talented shinobi. Kakashi was leading one of said teams.

The news had come as a surprise for everyone, especially Kakashi. He only had one full day to prepare before he and his comrades needed to take to the air, and wait for the oncoming enemy.

But the news came hardest for someone who was not even going to be participating in the mission: Iruka. Over the past few months, Kakashi and Iruka had been…seeing each other. Not in a friendly matter, either. No, Kakashi was proud to call Umino Iruka his lover. The two had always been close, but that relationship bloomed into something more, something beautiful.

Iruka completed Kakashi. He was his everything. From a young age, Kakashi had been quite…alone. Not growing up with any parents really made you doubt yourself sometimes. As a result of this, Kakashi's attitude was usually distant, and he didn't like to get too close to anyone. That was…until Iruka came into his life. Immediately, the man showed that he cared for Kakashi deeply. Kakashi could tell Iruka anything, and everything. Soon, the two of them found they couldn't get enough of the other, and started something.

So, of course, the news that your lovers was going on a dangerous, high class mission on such short notice was hard on Iruka's heart. Kakashi assured him he would be fine. Iruka knew Kakashi was talented, he would have to be to be trusted with a mission like this.

Still, the night before Kakashi left, he knew Iruka was uptight. The two of them always slept together, regularly changing the location: Kakashi or Iruka's apartment. That night, they stayed at Kakashi's place, mostly because of the fact that he needed an early start the next day. Kakashi would never admit that he noticed, but Iruka held him tighter than he ever had that night.

So here he was now: at the turning point of the mission. Kakashi took a deep breath before signaling the other members of his team that he was going down, and jumped off the branch. He was met face to face with the enemy. Seems like their timing had been perfect.

As soon as the enemy noticed his Konoha vest, the two teams were flung into all out battle. Kakashi gave it his all, using every bit of his chakra that he contained. Just as he unleashed his chidori and flung himself at the enemy, he failed to notice the small syringe his target pulled out. Soon, Kakashi's entire arm was straight through the enemy, killing him instantly.

Stepping back, he watched the man fall to his knees, dead. He flashed a thumbs up to his team with a quick "Mission Accomplished." Suddenly, the trees around him started spinning, and Kakashi found himself on the ground, breathing heavily. He could faintly make out the crieds of his team, and felt arms around him, trying to keep him upright. Just before he blacked out, he heard one of the other jounin cry out:

"Poison! The enemy injected deadly poison into Kakashi-san!"

And with that, Kakashi was overcome by darkness.

* * *

Iruka sat at the desk of his small corner in the staff room, staring at yet another test paper to grade. He had finished almost half the pile, and was making good, continuous progress as the morning went on. So lost in his grading, he barely heard the calling of one of the other nameless instructors behind him. The tap on the shoulder jolted him back to reality, and he turned his attention to them

"Oh, I'm sorry," he chuckled, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "I was caught up in grading. Is there something you needed me for?"

"This just came for you, it says it's urgent," he replied, handing him the sealed message.

Taking it, Iruka glanced down at it for a while, noting the seal of the Konoha Hospital with a frown. What would they want with him? Tearing it open, he leaned back as he read it.

His inner peace didn't last long. Standing abruptly, the legs of the chair screeching against the floor in protest, Iruka ran out of the staff room faster than he thought he was able to. Weaving through the people in the hallway, he ran out the Academy as if the devil himself was on his heels, making a line straight for the hospital. The letter was crumpled in his hand, fluttering noisily against the wind.

_Umino Iruka- Jounin, Hatake Kakashi. Severely injured. Critical condition. Message sent as next of kin._

Forcing his way past crowds of bystanders, ignoring the protests and angry yelling from those he disturbed, he forced his legs to carry him to the hospital doors faster than they would allow. Bursting through said doors, he ran to through the hallways, navigating himself to the Emergency Wing. Ignoring the calls and instructions from the nurses he passed, he rushed though the wing doors, spotting the emergency operating room. Making a dash for it, with only one thing on his mind, he didn't even see the medics approaching him until they had blocked him entirely, catching him and holding him from progressing any further.

"Let me go! Let me go," he protested, struggling against them. "Where is he? Tell me where he is. Tell me! I need to see him, I need to- I need to be with him, you have to-"

"Hatake-san cannot receive any visitors at this moment," was the cold reply from the seemingly emotionless medic to his right. "Please visit another day, when he is stable."

"He's not stable right now? What happened? What happened to him? Is he going to be alright? I need to see him. Let me go, please, I- I need to see him."

"Regulations are regulations, Umino-san. We cannot allow you to enter. Please stop struggling, or we will have you forcibly removed from the premises."

"You don't understand," he pleaded, ready to beg them for permission. "You don't understand, I need to see him. He's- he's my lover."

The medics looked at one another, to Iruka, and back to eachother. The truth of the matter was that Kakashi was in such an unstable state that they didn't want to risk upsetting his rest with any visitors. Keeping their grip on Iruka, they shook their heads.

"We're sorry, Umino-san. We can tell you what happened, but we can't allow you to enter."

As they relayed the details of the mission and the severity of Kakashi's poison, Iruka felt his knees go weak.

_Not Kakashi. He couldn't have been poisoned. He's too strong. Not Kakashi. Not my Kakashi._

Gripping onto one of the medics, he could barely listen to the rest of his explanation.

"The poison extraction was successful, but the damage done to him before that is the concern. He's weak; he's not even conscious. He might not be, for a long time. Are you understanding what I'm saying, Umino-san? He might slip into a coma. He might not wake up. He might pass away in that coma. There's nothing more we can do but wait; we cannot allow you to interrupt his peaceful rest. You understand, don't you?"

The only words that registered were _he might not wake up_ and _he might die_. Shaking his head, his eyes focused on the door behind the medics. The room that Kakashi was in was isolated, but the door was right in front of him. Gripping the medic's shoulder, he turned to him.

"I have to see him. I need to see him. I have to be with him, you understand?" he repeated, hand squeezing down almost painfully on the medic's shoulder. "Get out of my way. Please. Just let me go to him. I won't disturb him, I'll be quiet, I- I just need to- I need to-"

But the medics would have none of it.

Iruka was a patient man. He was passive and calm, collected and unbothered. He knew that about himself as surely as anyone else in the village knew it. That was why he was startled to find himself using his entire strength to propel one medic into the nearby wall, shoving the other in the opposite direction. Making a dash for the door, he felt one of them pull at his vest, struggling to pull him away from the door handle so close in his grasp. He needed to go in there. He needed to be with Kakashi. Kakashi needed him, and Iruka knew it. Heart aching, mind racing, adrenaline pumping through his system, he fended off the medics better than he thought he was capable of. He was vaguely aware of them alerting security of his misbehavior, and knew he had to do something quickly. With one final effort, he shoved the medics off of him, turning the door handle the moment they let go. Slipping inside, he shut the door behind him and bolted it, hearing the rattling of the door handle on the other side. Positioning a chair against the door, barring it shut, he panted, turning around with fearful eyes.

Kakashi lay on the bed, pale and still. An IV drip connected to his arm, an oxygen tube inserted at his nose, he looked as though he was dead already. Walking over with wobbling legs, Iruka collapsed onto the edge of the bed, eyes watering at the sight of his lover up close. He could see the dark circles under his eyes, the hollowing of his cheeks, the paleness of his skin. A wave of emotions surged within him, and with shaking hands, he laid them on either side of Kakashi's cold face, bringing his head down to touch the other's forehead.

* * *

Darkness.

That was what filled Kakashi's days and nights. Nothing but darkness. Of course, he wasn't conscious to realize just how dark it had gotten, or what state his body was in. The only thing he felt was empty. Like something was missing. Something…or someone.

For weeks, Kakashi stayed in that hospital bed, unmoving. The doctors kept a constant eye on him, and so did Iruka. Finally, after all of his whining, they had allowed Iruka access to see Kakashi, but only for one hour a day. As the days rolled by, their concerns continued to grow.

Finally, the day came when Kakashi was about at his limit. The doctors predicted that if he didn't wake up by tomorrow, he would not live. Iruka was given this news, and the doctors promised to call in reports to him every hour, seeing as he couldn't sleep in the hospital.

In Kakashi's unconscious mind, suddenly a small light could be seen. It was dim, almost like s firefly. But it shone through the darkness, and Kakashi desperately reached for that little sign of light. As he moved closer to it, he saw a face. A face he had learned to love, the face of someone who loved him in return. Oh, how he wanted to run his hand over that scar and feel his wavy chocolate brown hair, pull it out of it's usual ponytail.

As he reached out for the face, his eyes sprung open, and he looked around at his surroundings. He was…in the hospital? How long had he been asleep? Many of the nurses gathered around him, and started asking him questions. It was all so overwhelming. Softly, Kakashi only said one word in respond to their questions.

"Iruka."


End file.
